1. Field of the Invention
The subject disclosure relates to the field of fluid analysis, and more particularly, to a novel filter bowl design that enables in-situ lubricant monitoring systems to be retrofitted in a scalable fashion to existing gearboxes and powertrain systems.
2. Background of the Related Art
Aircraft mechanical components require wear protection fluids such as drive train lubricants and engine oils to keep the aircraft components operating in the most efficient and safe manner possible. Lubricating fluids can become degraded or contaminated by internal or external sources or accumulate component wear debris due to pitting, spalling, corrosion-induced fatigue, or other mechanisms. Further, water infiltration or chemical changes can degrade the lubricant and can affect oil-wetted component lifetimes and maintenance requirements.
Lubricant monitoring of mechanical components is being widely used for diagnostic and prognostic assessment of the health of these mechanical components. In-situ lubricant monitoring devices need to operate in harsh environments, especially in aircraft, rotorcraft, and industrial applications. Two typical lubricant monitoring techniques include lubricant condition analysis and detection of metallic debris suspended in lubricant flow.
Evaluating debris in hydraulic, lubrication and other fluid systems can provide valuable information about abnormal contaminant ingression, accelerated component wear, impending component failure and/or fluid break down. However, integrating fluid monitoring hardware into systems for which they were not designed can be logistically complex, resulting in high NRE costs that have slowed the adoption of in-situ lubricant monitoring. For example, in many rotorcraft gearbox lubrication systems access to unfiltered oil, as required to perform lubricant monitoring, is only available at the main filter assemblies. Moreover, in helicopters such as the H-60, clearance between the transmission and airframe or cabin needed to support the installation of sensor hardware is extremely limited.
Therefore, there is a need for a system to reduce the cost and complexity associated with integrating fluid monitoring hardware on existing rotorcraft powertrain systems with minimal impact on size and weight.